Nebraska’s fourth and eighth graders have scored above the national average and higher than most other states in math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP’s math assessment measures students’ abilities in general knowledge and in problem solving. In reading, the NAEP measures comprehension through reading passages and associated questions.
In math, the state’s fourth graders scored an average of 242, seven points higher than the 235 national average. The eighth graders scored 279 versus a national average of 273. For reading, Nebraskan fourth graders achieved an average score of 219, three points above the US average, and the eighth graders scored 273, which is six points better than marks across the nation.
This is the first time results have been published since 2019, as the pandemic pushed testing back one year. Although scores were down in all tests on a national and local level, Nebraska’s scores didn’t fall as far as most states.